a. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to computer databases and specifically to the synchronization of databases.
b. Description of the Background
Synchronized databases are those databases that may be used separately, but may from time to time be updated with respect to each other. For example, a file system on a portable computer may be connected with the file system of a server in an office. When the portable computer is used outside of the office, certain data may be stored on the portable computer so that the user may continue working. Some files may be changed and updated on the portable computer and likewise on the server.
The file structure on the portable computer and server may be synchronized when the portable computer is brought back to the office. The updated files from the portable computer may be transferred to the server, and likewise, updated files from the server may be transferred to the portable computer. When the file structure contains very large amounts of data, synchronization may be very lengthy and may require a large amount of storage space on both the portable and server computer.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a system and method whereby useful work may be performed on the database in connected and unconnected situations without requiring lengthy and space consuming synchronization.